Faults:

1. The car has been fairly reliable for the most part. The one item that kept on needing replacement were the control arms. I had replaced all 8 control arms ($1,200) in the front (yes Audi has 8 while most have 4). There were 2 more individual lower left and right control arm replacements. I think it is due to a design issue, along with the aluminum content, which makes it susceptible to damage.

2. Sunroof switch electricals are broken, but am not looking to replace.

3. Sun roof glide motion started to act erratically when the car was 9 years. Did not fix and left it in permanent close position.

4. Engine has been fantastic. It was the last the year of 12 valve V6 before it went to 24, and then on to 30 valves. No repairs on engine itself with the exception of water pump and timing belt. Both were replaced at 90K miles at $1,100/- ouch..!

5 The Quattro is simply out of this world. It rides like as if it is on rails during the winter months. No problems with transmission or AWD mechanicals. People are surprised when I tell them my mileage of 111K miles, and still on the original transmission.

6. Replaced clutch twice over the last 14 years.. peg it to wear and tear.

General Comments:

1. Expensive to own... but really fun to drive in both winter and summer. The drive feedback is amazing... I guess due to the complicated 8 control arm thing...:-) Driving the car along twisty roads in the fall period is something else. I have driven other more reliable Japanese makes... but get a dead feel. C.

2. The color of the car is black, and it has maintained quite well over the years. I get wonderful comments from other people at the car wash when the car is cleaned. The luster of the black shows quite well.

Faults:

Major downfall of this car is the front suspension.. which includes the tie rods, control arms ball joints etc. They tend to go bad constantly.. you're better off replacing every piece at the same time.

General Comments:

Good handling car.. especially in the snow... very comfortable.. heated seats, climate control, nice Bose stereo system.. Has more options than most 2009 Japanese counterparts.

Faults:

When I got this car I knew that the previous owner had replaced a few parts that went bad.

Old owner issues:

1. Replaced turbo 2 times due to heat issues. The final fix involved heat shielding to keep as much heat away from the air intake and turbo itself.

2. Front right suspension had to be replaced at 60k miles as well as the back right one.

My issues:

1. Oil cooler developed a hole, which was found when the oil was changed and a large pool of brown milkshake color oil/water appeared on the ground. $800.

2. Head gasket went about 4 months after. Another flush of the coolant/oil system. $2400.

2. Bad thermostat 2 months later. $200.

3. Another bad thermostat; this time it had pieces all over. 3 months later. $500.

4. Ignition coils, 4 months later. $300.

5. Front left bushings no longer self lubricate. If you have a grease gun you can fix it till you get the cash to fix everything. Which involves replacing the whole arm section. $800 or $5 for stop gap fix 6 months later.

6. Defective brakes from the Audi dealer. Initial cost $500, total after repair $1000 3 months later.

7. Cooling system is messed up again. $500 circuit that controls the shifting is broken, $600 2 months later.

8. Electrical system is a joke. Sometimes your car alarm will go off for no reason or your windows will open. Sun roof does that a lot. About every other day this happens. Got the alarm to stop, but you need to know electrical systems and most people don't.

I swear there is more, but I'm forgetting them. But this is most of the BIG stuff.

General Comments:

When I first got this car, I had at the time a 1984 Thunderbird with about 198k miles on it. Only issue it had at the time was a oil leak. Only reason I even bought the Audi was my mother has an S4, and from driving it I liked the feel. Though it has a lot of other issues I now know.

As for the Audi, or what I call the piece of crap, here are a few small gripes I have with it that you can live with.

1. Since its the turbo charged 1.8 you have to learn when to time your start. Doesn't have the go which I was used to. Though at about 30 it's quick and gets to speed pretty fast.

2. Small period. I'm not that tall, only 6'2", but if you're any taller I wouldn't get this car; you will have a heck of a time getting in and out. It's a four seater, but if you have friends like me that are my height or taller, the back seat is only going to fit one.

Only other gripe is more of a common sense issue for a car sold in US/Canada. I wish they would label some of the parts also in English.